Radio time tuning device



Dec. 12, 1950 cf- 2,533,877

RADIO TIME TUNING DEVICE Filed April 1, 1946 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORZ5 AINTHONY OHIKAN BY [3 2/ Z3 Z5 Z/ 22 2a Z3 2 26 W Z4 7 M r w 1 AORNEY Dec. 12, 1950 A. CHIKAN 7 2,533,877

RADIO TIME TUNING DEVICE Filed April 1 1946 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 K \i k ZINVENTOR ANTHONY GHIKAN ALMA.

ATTO R N EY Dec. 12, 1950 A. CHIKAN 2,533,877

VRADIO 'IVIME TUNING DEVICE Filed ApIil 1, 1946 s Sheets-Sheet sINVENTOR ANTHONY CHI KAN Patented Dec. 12, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

RADIO TIME TUNING DEVICE Anthony Chikan, New York, N. Y. 7 ApplicationApril 1, 1946, Serial No. 658,613

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in radio devicesand has particular reference to a time-controlled switching device forradio sets.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple, eflicient, easilyoperated, economically manufactured device whereby at any suitableintervals throughout the day any one or more stations may be selected tobe automatically tuned in as desired and permit the settings orselections to be made in advance for the full twenty-four hours.

A further object is to provide a device in which set switches will, whenthey make contact, cause the operation of solenoids to actuate tuningdevices or buttons or the like on the radio sets.

A still further object is to provide a device wherein although a stationswitch may be set, the radio may be turned on or off regardless of thesetting of the time switch. I

Further and more specific objects, features, and advantages will moreclearly appear from a consideration of the specification hereinafter setforth especially when taken in connection with the accompanying drawingswhich illustrate a present preferred form which the invention may assumeand which form part of the specification.

Briefly, and in the most general terms, the invention concerns thecombinationwith a clock mechanism having a dial, of an annular disk orplate surrounding the dial and a sweep arm actuated by the clock. Thedisk has for each radio station involved a ring of manually operableswitch levers arranged in a circle around the dial and positioned atregular circumferential intervals therearound such as represented byevery fifteen minutes. Each manually operable lever when actuateddepresses a contact plunger which is adapted when thus positioned toengage with a contact on the clock-operated sweep or switch arm disposedbelow the disk to make contact and establish a circuit to a relay orsolenoid which, thus energized, will operate an arm on the radio set orpush a button to bring in the desired station at that particular time.Since each station has a ring of operable elements at every interval,they can be set to keep that station on the air all day, if desired. Onthe other hand, as many station rings can be provided with switch leversas the radio set has push buttons by which to bring the stations in and,therefore, any desired sequence of stations throughout the twenty-fourhours may be selected.

Another feature of the invention is to provide with each radial line ofswitch levers an On switch lever and an Oil lever so that when anystation is picked to be tuned in at a given time, the On button isoperated to turn on the power to the set at the same time. If the Offbutton is operated, however, no station will be tuned in even though theselector switches have been set for that time and that station. I

The present preferred form which the invention may assume is shown inthe drawings, of which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the device.

Fig. 2 is a partial vertical section through the selector disk andselector switches.

Fig. 3 is a partial inverted plan view of the device.

Fig. 4 is a partial vertical section through the clock, the selectordisk and the rotating switch arm.

Fig. 5 is a detail of the contact device drawn to an enlarged scale.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a detail of the manually operable switchelement.

Fig. '7 is a circuit diagram of the device.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged partial elevation of the operated solenoids.

The preferred present form which the inven tion may assume is shown inthe drawings and includes a clock mechanism I0 having a clock face I lmarked in the usual manner. The hour hand shaft [2 has connected theretoat the bottom a switch or sweep arm l3 having a counterweight I311 andwhich rotates with the hour hand within a casing l4 and beneath a thickcover plate or disk l5 in which the clock mechanism in is also housed,as shown in Fig, 4.

The cover plate or disk is provided with a series of bores such as 16,in which are slidable contact blocks or plungers I'l. These bores. arearranged in radial rows, as shown in Fig. 1, and these rows are disposedat regular intervals radially of the clock dial, as for example, in Fig.1, for clarity on the drawing, the interval is every half hour, though,obviously, the 15-minute interval would preferably be used. Anyparticular bore in any particular radial row is only one of a series ofbores, therefor, disposed in a circle at a given radius from the centerof the clock. Therefore, the circular rows of bores represent each adifferent radio station and the separate bores in each circle representthe periods of times at which said station can be tuned in if the poweris on. The two outer rings of bores are for "On and Off switches as willbe explained later.

Pivoted on the cover plate over each bore I6 is a manually operatedswitch lever IS in the form of an arm, the upper end of which extendsabove the cover plate or block it to be manipulated by the finger, andthe lower end of which bears on the top of contact block or plunger I I.The plungers are normally held up in the bores l6 by means of springs l9disposed between the top of the plungers and the top plate 20 of theblock l5. As shown in the Fig. 2, when the levers I8 are in oneposition, the plunger is pulled up but when they are moved to the otherposition, then the lever ends thereof force the plungers down. The lowerfaces of the plungers or contact elements are provided with metalliccontact pieces 2| which are preferably formed with a cam face or slopeand when depressed, will lie in the path of raised contact pieces orprojectionsv 22 disposed on the rotating switcharm l3 beneath eachradial bore as the arm rotates so as tomake contact between these twometallic elements and thus close a circuit in which they are disposed.It will be understood. that the contact elements 2 22- are so adjustedthat they'remain incontact for the shortest-possible time to reduce theheat generated in the solenoid. To this end, the rearward side. ofthecon-tact 2t is formed with an offset it to allow for a quick breakbetween the contacts 2l-22'. Itwill be seen in Fig. 2', that: eachcontact piece 22 on the arm I3 is connected. by a wire 23 with. a commonconductor 24 running along beneath the arm 13. To con-- ductor 24 may besecured coil spring 24a which rides in contact-terminalMb to which issecured lead 240 from the powersource. The contact piece 2 on thebottom. of each plunger is connected by a conducting pig tail 25 to acircular wire 26:. In other words, each contact. piece2l in-a circular.row of plungers is connected by its pig tail to the common circuit wire26 which. is. connected to'aprcper solenoid- 28- to operate the properpush button on the radio set.

A'sshown in- Fig. the contact block i! may engage the contact piece onthe radial rotating arm 13 and this is shown in this figureto be aturned up-lip 22' of flexible metal. As shown in Fig. 6, the manuallyoperable switch levers Iii The two outer circular wires 26-are connectedto wires 3i and til'which lead to oppositely dis posed coils 33 and ofplunger solenoids which: in a well-known manner can respectively operatethe On and Off switch 35 of the ra'dio'setv Itwill beobvious fromaninspection of thisfigure that when the switch arm i3 is rotated by theclock sliaft, it will move its contacts slowly around and theywillrespectivelycontact with any contactpieces on blocks i? which mayhave'beenmoved" down by the manipulation of theswitch: levers l8. Thecurrent will travel. from one side of the line through the wire 2%: toa:' contact piece 22, thence: through the contact piece 21 which may bedtspressedthrough its wires 25 to" the common wire 26, through therespective to the coils solenoid 28 and then back to the other side ofthe line. At the same time, the radio set is placed in On or Offcondition for any given position of the rotating arm l3 by means of thetwo outer switch levers IS in each radial row of such ele ments. Thesemay be operated to energize either one of the solenoids 33 and 34 toeither open or close the switch 35 to the radio set. Therefore, it isapparent that no matter how many of the levers H! are operated todepress their respective plun-gers I1, and although theraidio set maythus be tuned to a particular station, the station will not come inunless the switch lever l8 marked On has been operated to place thepower of the line on' the set.

Thus, it can be observed that one can set the manually operated leversl8 for every interval during the entire twenty-four hours if that is thedesire, and can also determine whether for any of these settings the setwill come On by determining the position of the On and Off" switches foreach radial column representing each interval of time. Of course, thecover plate 26 of the block or disc l5 can be suitably marked ason theraised annuli ll to denote the various radio stations represented byeach circular series manual devices and the number of each time intervalmay be marked thereon for convenience.'

Whilethe inventionhas been described as applying to a radio set, it willbe understood that the various circles of switch levers I 8 may beirogular preselected times, and for predetermined intervals; iti's merelynecessary to add additional circles of switch levers l8 for thatpurpose, and

corresponding solenoids, as for example to operate' a phonograph, or aperfume sprayer, or an air humidifier, etc., at different times fordefiniteintervals.

While the invention has been described in detail and with respect topresent preferred forms which it may assume-itis not to be limited tosuch details and forms since many changes and modifications-may be madein theinvention without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention in its broadest aspects. Hence, itis desired toc'ove'r anyandall forms and modifica tions of the=inventior1 which may come withint'he language or" scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters" Patent is:

A radiotiine' tuning device adapted foruse'in' association with a radioreceiver having push button-tuners'for a'plurality'ofstation's andcomprising a time clock having a dial, a circular block disposedtherearound', said block having a pluralityofrows of radially disposedbores-there inand disposed at suitabletime intervals around the-dial, aspring'retracted non-metallic plunger slidably positionedi'n eachsaidbore, amanually operable cam leveracoessible from the top oitheblo'ck" and pivoted in each bore in a position to depressit'scorr'esponding plunger agai nst the tension of its spring, and tohold the plunger'in' said position until I manually released, anelectric contact element on the lower face of each plunger, the forwards'ide ofsaid contact being beveled. as a cam and it's rearward sidebeing: sharply offset to provide for a quick electrical circuit break,an electrical conductor connected to said electnic I contact element anda-lso connected to oneof the solenoids corresponding t a particularstation, an arm rotated beneath said circular block by the clockmechanism, contact pieces of flexible metal on said arm adapted tocontact with the lower faces of such plungers as have been depressed bythe cam levers to close a circuit, a solenoid in said circuit andarmatures actuated by the solenoids to depress selected station pushbuttons at preselected times.

ANTHONY CHIKAN.

6 REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,948,672Purdy Feb. 27, 1934 2,346,623 Stewart et a1. Apr. 11, 1944 2,385,840Owens Oct. 2, 1945

